Our Game of the Week sends us to The Brickyard for a pivotal region game that determines who gets the Runner-Up title and the home playoff game that comes with it.

NORTH HALL

North Hall comes in 5-4 overall and 4-1 in region play. Like the opposing Tigers, the Trojans had a tough non-region slate before pretty much rolling through the region. The offense is, as always, a triple option attack that is led by the 3A leading rushing Clark Howell. He’s quick and hard to get hands on, but even if you stop him, there’s a guy named Kevin Rochester that’s a bit more of a power runner. While the Trojans almost never throw the ball, they’ve shown the ability to when they must. The defense has struggled at times against the passing game.

DAWSON COUNTY

The Tigers, like North Hall, are 5-4 overall and 4-1 in region. Dawson comes in as the more potent and balanced offense, led by 3A leading passer Zach Holtzclaw. The options in the backfield are legit with Isaiah Grindle and Dakohta Sonnichsen, as well as Colton Dyer. The receiving corps is great with two of the top receivers in the state in Tyler Lane and Jaden Gibson. Sonnichsen does it all, so look for him to make plays all over the field. And kicker Caleb Bonesteel is one of the best in the business.

BY THE NUMBERS (2020)

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game late tonight as well as a story recapping WEEK 12. Highlights are shared on Channel 5 (Fox) on the 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show. You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (WiFi pending).

OUR PREDICTION

The Tigers spread offense is going to put immense pressure on the Trojans’ defense that has allowed over 27 points per game. If forced to throw, North Hall won’t find it easy against the Tigers. OUR PICK: DAWSON COUNTY

DO WE BRING LUCK?

For Dawson County, we’ve taken in 16 games, and the Tigers have gone 10-6 in those, including 5 straight to this point. That includes two wins over North Hall also…

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: North Hall HS / Gainesville, GA / The Brickyard
LAST MEETING: North Hall 40, Dawson County 37 (2019)
ALL-TIME RECORD: Dawson County 3, North Hall 3
RECORDS: North Hall Trojans (5-4; 4-1 in 7-AAA); Dawson County Tigers (5-4; 4-1 in 7-AAA)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

This matchup is still really in its infancy. North Hall won an absolute barn-burner last year, 40-37, and tied up the all-time series at 3 games apiece. Dawson had won the previous 3 meetings in the Sid Maxwell era. These coaches are set to square off against each other for the fifth time. The first-ever meetings, back in 2012 and 2013, saw North Hall win. Below are the 2 episodes of this show that we have seen, both wins for the Tigers.

2016: #10 Dawson County 45, North Hall 27 | 2017: Dawson County 30, North Hall 7

TEAM LEADERS (2020 PLAYER STATS)

NORTH HALL

PASSING
Bradford Puryear (236 yds, 4 TD, 3 INT; 33% completion)

RUSHING
Clark Howell (1,259 yds, 17 TD, 8.0 YPC) *top rusher in Class 3A
Kevin Rochester (624 yds, 8 TD, 6.3 YPC)
Bradford Puryear (148 yds, 2 TD, 4.9 YPC)
Ajay Jones (71 yds, 0 TD, 3.1 YPC)

RECEIVING
Ajay Jones (80 yds, 1 TD, 3 rec)
Grayson Kirby (77 yds, 0 TD, 4 rec)
Kevin Rochester (11 yds, 2 TD, 3 rec)
Cameron Crisp (2 yds, 1 TD, 1 rec)

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
N/A

DAWSON COUNTY

PASSING
Zach Holtzclaw (2,165 yds, 23 TD, 4 INT; 60% completion)

RUSHING
Isaiah Grindle (758 yds, 5 TD, 6.2 YPC)
Colton Dyer (239 yds, 3 TD, 5.2 YPC)
Nic Baloga (141 yds, 2 TD, 6.7 YPC)
Dakohta Sonnichsen (94 yds, 1 TD, 4.5 YPC)
Jaden Gibson (79 yds, 1 TD, 3.6 YPC)
Zach Holtzclaw (73 rush yds, 4 TD, 3.7 YPC)

RECEIVING
Dakohta Sonnichsen (577 yds, 6 TD, 30 rec)
Jaden Gibson (576 yds, 6 TD, 36 rec)
Tyler Lane (569 yds, 8 TD, 27 rec)
Maximos Moon (147 yds, 0 TD, 12 rec)
Isaiah Grindle (124 yds, 1 TD, 13 rec)
Tray Cohen (91 yds, 2 TD, 5 rec)
Colton Dyer (17 yds, 1 TD, 2 rec)

DEFENSIVE
Kade Moledor (94 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 INT (TD), 1 Forced Fum)
Brandon Lantz (77 TKL, 2 TFL)
Kinkade Weaver (63 TKL, 11 TFL)
Tripp Caine (41 TKL, 1 INT)
Cade Adams (35 TKL, 7 TFL, 4 Sacks, 1 Forced Fum, 1 FumRec)
Logan Berry (31 TKL, 7 TFL, 5 Sacks, 1 FumRec)